


The truth comes out at the Minister's Ball

by blklightpixie26



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-19
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-09-25 12:05:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9819773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blklightpixie26/pseuds/blklightpixie26
Summary: Of all the sights Draco hadn't wanted to encounter that night, Harry Potter in the arms of the Weasley girl was the top of the list. Harry belonged to him and nobody else. After a few choice words from his ex fiancee, Astoria, it was finally time for Draco to claim what was rightfully his





	

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I am not the owner of the Harry Potter series in any shape or form. They belong to the wonderfully brilliant JK Rowling.
> 
> Thank you so much to HufflepuffMommy and Saskia for all the help and the beta work. You guys are amazing. <3

The music surrounded him as Draco walked into the Minister's Ball. He had been surprised at the invitation at first, then doubted that it was truly meant for him. In the end though, he knew that he would be going, it was then a matter of whom he would be taking. Looking around at the various people whom were attending, he was grateful to realize it wouldn't be noticed that he hadn't brought a date.

“Malfoy?”

Draco turned seeing Hermione standing there. “Granger,” he smirked, then visibly relaxed when the smirk left his lips. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you,” she replied glancing around. “I thought… ”

“There's only one person I would have come with and we both know that person is taken already.”

Hermione lead him over to the bar getting two drinks and using the louder area to cover over her words. “Don't count yourself out just yet. He came through the floo in the middle of the night stressed out from another fight. I don't know what exactly is going on over there, but it's happening more and more.”

“She's pushing him,” Draco replied sipping at the brandy. “She wants a marriage and children, but won't listen to what he's saying to her.”

“Ginny has never been someone who will sit still and listen. She would rather go running head first into things and consider the consequences later, just the way that Harry used to do things.”

Draco rolled his eyes looking around the room as if he really cared. “He isn't that person anymore. He's tired of being that person for everyone.”

“That's what brought you two together when we went back to school,” Hermione said softly. “I thought it was just some phase.”

“The insane marathon sex was a phase,” Draco smirked at the look on Hermione's face. “He's been trying to figure out how to balance who he really is with the person everyone thinks he is. While he's been struggling with that, it's been an eye opening experience with just the two of us.”

Hermione cringed. “I don't need to know about my best friend's sex habits, thank you. Is it everything you thought it was when you wanted to be friends with him in school?”

Draco walked, away changing the brandy for a glass of red wine and a new glass for Hermione. He took one of the piece of bruschetta when it got to them and waited for them to leave before speaking. “It is but yet it isn't. I had a different perspective ‘of things’ back then, thinking that everything was at my fingertips because that was how things worked for my father. Having the ability to say that I now know better has shown me that I wouldn't have appreciated any of this back then. The first time I offered my hand in friendship I wanted to be able to say that he was my friend and to be able to use his name for the power that came with it. It never occurred to me what my father would do with that friendship, but the public exposure would have made him extremely happy.”

“Now?” Hermione sipped the wine and saw that her date had finally arrived, but wanted to finish her talk with Draco first.

“Now I don't care what the public thinks as we walk down the street or attend functions. I want the private moments that make us both happy. The idea of just spending a night on the couch reading with his head in my lap or mine in his, is just as appealing to me. Finding our own path to happiness in our own place and possibly our children is all that matters to me now.” He saw his ex fiancee and took a much deeper drink than he should have. “Of course she would have to come.”

Hermione looked over and saw Astoria. “I thought you broke it off.”

“Mutual decision actually. There was someone else whom she preferred and the fact that at various points Harry would come over to get away from Ginny did not help our relationship. I think it bothered her less that she was losing me to Harry when I told her it didn't bother me that she fell in love with Theo.”

“At least your break up was on a positive note then,” she replied when Astoria arrived in front of them. “Good Evening, Astoria.”

The raven haired beauty smiled and hugged her, careful of the glass in Hermione's hand. “Good Evening Hermione. Draco. Has anything interesting happened yet?”

“Theo arrived a few minutes ago. Harry and Ginny have been here a while.” Chocolate eyes scanned the room before settling back on the other woman. “Draco has been catching me up on what I have been missing since trying to go back to school.”

Astoria took one of the glasses off the silver tray and sipped it. “They still need a better brand. It looks like it might be an interesting night. I thought you had finished Arguer's school.”

“No I finished University. I have three years for Arguer's schooling then to pass the final test,” Hermione replied. “I'll be grateful when it's finished and can start paying back these loans though. The debt alone makes me wonder if there is an end in sight.”

“Three years if you don't overload your schedule,” Draco commented watching the scene on the other side of the room. “It's not worth the panic attacks because of the course load.”

“I do not overload my schedule.”

Draco fought the urge to roll his eyes. “That is why you had so many panic attacks last year trying to finish early,” he drawled.

A blush stole over her cheeks as Astoria smirked at the two of them. “You both need to get this finished.”

“I'm sitting the final exam in December,” Draco said as he took a sip of the wine.

“You were only a year ahead of me though.”

Draco nodded. “I took some of the classes during the summer instead of taking a break. When I spoke to the counselor about what was needed for graduation and to seat the exam, I only need two classes and the internship.”

Hermione bristled at the thought that Draco had managed to succeed where she hadn't and was about to make a comment when she saw the indication that Kingsley wanted to speak with her. “I'll be back to find out how you did that without me knowing Draco.”

“I count on it,” he said watching her leave. When she was out of earshot, he turned to Astoria with a raised eyebrow. “What are you doing here? I thought we weren't going to keep up appearances.”

“We aren't, love. Theo got an invitation and asked me to join him. We came separately because I told him that I needed to do something before I came.”

Draco nodded. “Yet you are still here with me and not with him.”

She watched the Golden couple and her eyes narrowed for a moment. “I'm with you and not with him, because at this moment you need me. Theo is perfectly happy making his way around the room and getting new connections. I, on the other hand, have an interest in seeing you very happy.”

“What are you talking about?”

Astoria opened the silver clutch and took out a small box making sure that it couldn't be seen by anyone else. Draco took it from her before discretely opening it then looking at his own ring finger than at her. “Astoria, I don't have a binding ring for a male. The only one that I have is the one that was given to you for our engagement.”

“Correction, you didn't have one. Don't question it Draco. Take the ring and build your future with the one person who truly completes you.”

He fingered the ring, feeling the spells that were intertwined with the metal. “You've been planning this.”

“I didn't want to do this here, but circumstances changed my plans. It's been four years since the final battle and almost a year since the two of you separated for the farce that was our engagement. Stop the madness and letting her break him down further.” She motioned to where Ginny had dragged Harry out onto the dance floor. “That is not love Draco. That is a grown woman who wouldn't know true love from a little girl's hero worship if it bit her in the arse. If you truly see your future with him, now is the time to do it.”

Draco's anger built seeing the stiffness and tension in the Saviour's body as he held her. “I take it you have a plan.”

Astoria smirked and finished the wine in her glass. She leaned in whispering softly as Draco motioned to Hermione to come back. As a tray appeared, Astoria and Draco placed their empty glasses on it but Draco grabbed a fresh one taking a sip.

“Draco?” Hermione questioned when she stopped in front of them.

He looked at the brunette, “Think you can get them to change the song they are playing?”

She shrugged. “I can try. Why? They won't change it for you?”

“I have something I need to do,” Draco said cryptically. “You know the song that I gave Harry right before I got engaged to Astoria?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“Get them to play it,” he said and handed her his glass. “Come dance with me, Astoria.”

Hermione took the glass and watched as Draco led Astoria out on the dance floor. She went over whispering the song into the ear of the one in charge and then stood back watching the two couples. Though there was very little love between them, Draco and Astoria were still a beautiful couple. The friendship that they shared translated beautifully in their movements and Hermione found herself slightly jealous of the other woman. When she looked over at Harry, she knew that there was trouble. The tension in his body seemed almost palpable and to her frustration Ginny seemed completely oblivious about it. Their dancing though beautiful was slowly looking forced.

The moment the song that Draco had her request started playing, Hermione recognized it as the one that she would find Harry playing on repeat after the fights with Ginny. It took her a measure of the music to realize it was the same song that she heard when she had found the two of them entwined together right before Harry went back to Ginny. Chocolate eyes watched as the ember-haired woman dragged Harry back out on the dance floor and Draco made his way over to them with Astoria. Her eyes narrowed for a second before she realized what was going on.

“May I cut in?” Draco asked loud enough that a few of the other couples could hear him, but not loud enough to make a huge scene. He took Harry's hand and led him out further into the middle of the dance floor then resting his hands on his hips.

“Draco, what...” he trailed off.

“Relax. Just dance with me.”

As comforting weight of Draco's hand rested on Harry's lower back along with the scent of cinnamon, citrus and something purely Draco surrounded him, Harry rested his head on Draco's shoulder. He could hear Ginny's voice demanding that she was to be let go, but he just rested heavier on the blond. He sighed softly and closed his eyes. “We are in the middle of a very public Minister's Ball.”

“I know. Do you still love me?” he whispered softly in french

“You know the answer to that question.”

Draco shook his head. “Harry, do you still love me?”

“Always.”

He reached into his pocket grateful that Astoria had taken the ring box and put it back in her clutch. Carefully he took the ring out and slipped it onto Harry's right hand. “I love you Harry James Potter.” 

As Ginny raged, being held back by a few bystanders, Draco leaned in kissing him deeply and his hands holding on possessively.

Hermione stood watching the scene out on the dance floor and sipped at the wine. An arm wrapped around her waist and she leaned into the strong body behind her. She didn't even see the way Ron's eyes filled with anger at the sight of his ex girlfriend in the arms of someone else. “You knew about this.”

“I suspected when Astoria said she had something she needed to give back to Draco.”

“They make a stunning couple,” she commented contently.

“So do we,” Greg replied as he lead his girlfriend out onto the dance floor.


End file.
